21 Uses for Plastic Baggies When Traveling

You know those people who love to live out of suitcases? I’m one of them. I love to travel, and if life didn’t keep me tethered to Arizona, I would have no problem living on the road out of suitcases for the next year of my life. Mr. DCeo and I recently went on a five-week trip to Southeast Asia, so I got my wish for a little more than a month. While living out of a suitcase can have its challenges, we discovered a big way to make it easier.

Our packing trick? Plastic baggies.

Now, you may already know that plastic baggies are great for getting your toiletries through airport security, but they are so much more valuable than you realize. Here’s a few ways we used baggies during our five months of trekking around Asia:

Sandwich and Snack Size Baggies

· Bar soap pieces: We never knew when we were going to need to provide our own soap, so instead of carrying around a large bottle of body wash, I had a bar of organic soap that I sliced pieces off of as we needed. The plastic baggie kept the bar contained nicely.

· Keeping my phone dry: We spent a decent amount of time on boats, so whenever we were going on a boat tour or on a kayaking trip, I always threw my phone into a plastic sandwich bag to keep it protected.

· Trash: While playing tourist, I kept collecting ticket stubs, snack wrappers, and various other mystery items in my purse until I found a trash can. I finally started carrying small plastic baggies to keep all the trash items contained so they weren’t just floating around in my purse.

· Business cards: On our trip, we quickly realized that many tourists were either going the same direction as we were (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, i.e. South to North), or they were headed in the opposite direction. Everyone likes recommendations, so we started collecting business cards from our favorite restaurants and accommodations to give to other tourists heading to those locations.

· Toothbrush and travel toothpaste: Sometimes, you just want to carry your toothbrush and toothpaste with you, but you don’t need to bring your entire toiletry bag. In those times, I found it was best to keep my toothbrush in a small baggie to protect it from all the other stuff in my purse (like the trash!).

· Foreign currency: On our trip, we were in four different countries. To keep all of our money straight, and to ensure we had the right currency in each country, I started keeping the coins and bills in separate plastic baggies. Once we were done with a particular country, the few dollars that we kept for souvenirs all went into one baggie to bring home.

· Hair ties: If you have long hair, you probably carry a stash of hair ties. Keep them contained in a small baggie, and you’ll always know where to look when you want to put your hair up.

· Shower loofa: I didn’t use this tip, but wish I would have. I use a shower puff at home, but immediately regretting not bringing it on my trip because most places we stayed didn’t provide wash cloths. Next time, the puff will be squished into a small baggie and carried with me!